Elton John’s captivating new documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late, showcases his remarkable 50-year career, revealing both triumphs and challenges.
Debuting on Disney+ December 13th, the documentary features unseen footage, diaries, and audio interviews, complemented by animations depicting the Grammy winner’s memories. Directed by Elton’s husband, David Furnish (also producer of the 2019 biopic Rocketman), and R.J. Cutler (The September Issue), the film follows Elton’s final American performances, culminating in his November 20, 2022, Dodgers Stadium concert.
The filmmakers aim to inspire viewers by portraying Elton’s journey from battling addiction and abuse to building a family. As Cutler told TIME, the film’s message, reflecting its title, is that transformative life choices are possible at any stage.
Here are some of the film’s most memorable moments:
A history of abuse
Elton recounts experiencing violence from his parents, including beatings during potty training and in public.
His musical talent, evident from a young age, clashed with his father’s disdain for rock ‘n’ roll. He pursued music at the Royal Academy of Music, formed Bluesology, and, in the late 60s, met his longtime collaborator, Bernie Taupin, through a Liberty Records advertisement. To escape his past, he adopted the stage name Elton John, abandoning his birth name, Reginald Kenneth Dwight. His father never witnessed his performances.
Elton also details abuse by his former manager and lover, John Reid (1970-1975), including an incident resulting in facial injuries.
Elton explains that performing provides an escape from his past, describing music as “my sex” and “an escape,” adding, “I’ve never taken my personal life onstage.”
His friendship with John Lennon
The documentary explores Elton’s profound friendship with John Lennon.
Elton recounts a shared cocaine experience in a hotel, interrupted by a visit from Andy Warhol.
Footage shows Lennon surprising the audience at Elton’s Thanksgiving Madison Square Garden concert (November 28, 1974), where they performed “Whatever Gets You Through the Night.”
Yoko Ono was in the audience. Lennon and Ono reunited shortly after. Elton became godfather to their son, Sean.
This 1974 concert marked Lennon’s last major performance before his murder on December 8, 1980, in New York City.
Desperate to settle down
Furnish discovered a 1976 Rolling Stone interview where Elton expressed desires for love, settling down, and having children, hinting at bisexuality by stating, “I haven’t met anybody that I would like to settle down with — of either sex.”
Elton achieved sobriety in 1990 at age 43, stating, “It did take me 43 years to learn how to function as a human being, rather than as a rock star.”
Initially, Furnish perceived Elton’s career as incompatible with family life. The 1997 documentary Tantrums and Tiaras (also directed by Furnish) contributed to a perception of Elton as temperamental. Furnish clarifies to TIME that this film misrepresented Elton, stating, “Unfortunately, it associated Elton with tantrums and this notion that he loses his rag at the drop of a hat. And there were no tantrums in the making of this film.”
Elton John: Never Too Late highlights the stabilizing influence of his marriage to Furnish and their two sons. The film portrays Elton as a devoted father, sharing tender moments with his sons.
“I’ve never felt happiness as I have now,” Elton, now 77, shared at the film’s September 24th Manhattan premiere, where he performed “Tiny Dancer.” He attributed his fulfillment to marriage and parenthood, stating that music alone “didn’t satisfy me.” “I found utopia. You can get here if you have a little faith.”
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